African American Health

Sodium sensitive

03/20/2002

Question:

Is it possible to be "sodium sensitive" thus giving high blood pressure. I have been treated for hp for years and it has never been below 160/100. I cut sodium as much as possible and have been able to cut my meds in half and normal b/p now is 112/75.

Answer:

About half of all people with hypertension are sodium-sensitive. Sodium sensitive means that cutting salt intake from the average American intake to a lower level of intake will drop the blood pressure significantly.

The average daily sodium intake in the United States is about 3.2 to 4.0 grams (which corresponds to 8 to 10 grams of salt). A moderate sodium restriction to 2.7 gm per day (corresponding to 7 gm of salt per day) has been found to reduce blood pressure on average by 8 mm Hg systolic (the upper number). More severe salt restriction can cause even greater drops in blood pressure.

However, not all people will drop their blood pressure with salt restriction, and there is disagreement whether salt restriction should be recommended for everyone. Those most likely to be salt-sensitive are the elderly, diabetics and African Americans.

Please note: only your personal physician or other health professional you consult can best advise you on matters of your health based on your medical history, your family medical history, your medication history, and how information from any of these databases may apply to you. Neither University of Cincinnati (NetWellness) nor any party involved in creating, producing or delivering this web site shall be liable for any damages arising out of access to or use of this web site, or any errors or omissions in the content thereof. (More)